


2AM Conversations At Samegawa River

by Yùu (Yuutfa)



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Bittersweet, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, November spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 21:26:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4364771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuutfa/pseuds/Y%C3%B9u
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As 2AM approaches and a yellow-grey fog settles over the riverbank, two figures sit at the gazebo and talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	2AM Conversations At Samegawa River

**Author's Note:**

> P4G has rekindled my love for the game, and the month of November wrecked me just as much as it did the first time I played 6 years ago. I needed an outlet and this was the result. Enjoy!
> 
> Though this is Souyo, you might have to squint a little to see it.

* * *

  

11/26

A dense fog blanketed the banks of the Samegawa River like a translucent film pasted over a tourist postcard. The sight was a common one these days, and what had once signalled a potential death was now a permanent fixture in the countryside town.

The fog unsettled Inaba’s residents, both mentally and physically. With its yellow-grey appearance came a drop in visibility, which led to a spike in traffic incidents —though those settled after a while. Drivers and pedestrians alike had become frightfully vigilant. Between the serial murders and the supposed poisonous fog, the hit and run incidents had almost been too much for the town’s collective psyche. There was little wonder why many had left Inaba or stayed locked at home when given the choice.

Souji's pace stilled. Home. Now that was something he did not want to think of at the moment, or ever, if possible. The word 'home' bought up unwanted thoughts, unwanted connotations that always led back to Dojima and Nana—

Souji's fists tightened as the familiar sensation of burning flooded the back of his throat and stung his eyes. Even now, the guilt of her capture burned like salt on a gaping wound. The following days after Heaven only caused that wound to fester, and it was a miracle that he maintained his status as a functional human being. Yosuke had once dubbed it his 'legendary calm', but these days Souji felt as if he was anything but.   

They had rescued her quickly, far more quickly than any of the others. Souji had pushed the team hard that day, (had they really done it in one day? It felt much longer), had shelled out all of his money to that god damn fox and repeated the dungeon climb four times over, avoiding all fights unless necessary. If the team had noticed his desperation, then they had been kind enough not to mention it. The only protest —if it could even be called that, extended as far as the occasional comment about his wellbeing.

He barely remembered the fight with Namatame. Nanako's crumpled body, her chest scarcely rising from her shallow breaths, was all he could think about when his friends turned against him. After that, were the white, sterile hospital walls and the panicked voices of the doctors and nurses as they rushed Nanako into intensive care.

His feet eventually brought him to the small gazebo by the river exit, and he sat himself down to stare at what he could, which turned out to be the stray cat pottering about just a few yards away. When it realised that he did not have any fish to offer, it left him to his own devices. He smiled wryly at that.

Closing his eyes, he did his best to collect himself. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. He needed to keep it together. He was the leader, the one that everyone depended on. If he fell apart, then what good was he?

"Holy— Souji, is that you?"

Souji opened his eyes and lowered his head so that he was no longer facing the wooden slats above. "Yosuke?"

Yosuke's surprise was clear even with the fog cover. With his hands in his pockets and his brow dutifully furrowed, Yosuke approached him in careful, measured steps. Three, six, and then nine steps passed before the other was standing in front of him.

"Dude, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Yosuke frowned at the reply and folded his arms. "I couldn't sleep. Your turn."

Souji looked away with a shrug. "I thought I'd go for a walk."

"It's 2AM."

Souji shrugged again.

Yosuke's frown softened as he motioned his head towards the empty space beside Souji. Souji followed the gaze and shifted upwards to make room for his friend.

"Hey, I know I've been asking this a lot lately, but… are you okay?" When Souji did not respond, Yosuke hesitated. "Chie and the others, they've been worried about you, you know." A pause. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, meek. " _I've_ been worried about you."

Souji kept his attention on the dirt below his feet.

"That lady that hangs about your house, the garden one, she says you haven't been going home lately."

At this, Souji lifted his head to meet Yosuke with a raised brow. The effect was lost under his heavy fringe. "Have you been stalking me?"

Yosuke balked. "W-what— no! I just—"

"My house isn't anywhere near the school route."

"You ass, I'm telling you it's not like that." He huffed and rubbed the back of his head with some irritation. "I stopped by your place the other day to check up on you, but you weren't home. The lady recognised me and asked me how you were."

Souji's gaze slid away. "I see." 

Three minutes of silence passed before Yosuke tried again. 

"It's okay if you're not." 

"If I'm not what?"

"Okay." 

To anyone else, the clumsy put together sentence would've only produced more confusion, but Souji was used to this by now. Eight months practically glued to a person would accustom anyone to any sort of quirk, and it was endearing, in a way. "I'm fine, Yosuke." He offered a small, reassuring smile that did not reach his eyes. 

Yosuke scowled. "You're doing it again." 

Souji's smile slipped. "Doing what?" 

"That thing where you lie and say you're okay to make everyone else feel better." 

Souji's lips fell into a neutral line as he made a mental note to work on his Expression; it had been a bit rough lately. 

"Look, that might fly by with other people, but not me. I'm your partner, remember? Equals. If you're not doing okay, you can tell me." 

A spark of frustration flickered in the hollow of his chest. Souji did his best to rein it in. "I'm fine." The words came out sharply, definitely not fine. 

"Souji…" 

"I'm fine." 

"And I'm telling you, you're not! Have you looked in the mirror lately? You look as if you're about to keel over any goddamn second." Yosuke leaned in closer, brow knitted together in a mixture of frustration and concern. "I'm not saying that I want you to break down into a sobbing heap, but you can't keep going on like this. Bottling stuff up, that kinda crap isn't healthy." His teeth came to worry at his lower lip, and he sat back to give Souji some space. "But then, I guess you'd know all about that, huh?" 

The bitterness in Yosuke’s voice set Souji on edge. What was Yosuke implying? That his shadow would appear if he continued like this? His nails bit into the meat of his palm, causing his knuckles to turn white. No, not possible. Namatame was incapacitated until further notice; there was no one to kidnap him and throw him into the TV. 

But then, thinking about it, hadn’t Yosuke and Chie’s shadow appeared on their own? They had shown up soon after they entered the TV with him, wasn’t it possible for his to do the same? Souji fought against the full bodied shudder that threatened to take him. To have his shadow appear would be no different than admitting that he was, in fact, not fine, and that was the last thing he needed right now. 

Souji sighed and avoided Yosuke's expectant stare. He might as well get this over and done with. "I don't like going home." 

Yosuke blinked. 

"Going back to an empty house is…" Souji swallowed, unable to complete his sentence. He kept his attention on his hands clasped at his thighs and forced himself to continue. "It's too quiet." 

Yosuke shifted; a mixture of discomfort and uncertainty tugged at the corner of his mouth. "So the only reason you don't go home is cos it's too quiet?" 

The only reason he ever went home in the first place was for Nanako or Dojima's sake. Without them, what was the point? Sitting around in that empty house only made their absence stronger. Souji's lips thinned into a tight line. 

"Damn, that came out all wrong, sorry," Yosuke said, misinterpreting Souji's silence for anger. He released a huff as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I think I get that, after all, you're used to coming home to Nanako-ch—" 

Souji flinched. Yosuke stopped. 

"Shit, I'm just making this worse." His fingers gripped at his scalp, tightening his hold for a brief second before it fell to his side. "Typical, I try to comfort someone, and I just end up with my foot in my mouth like always," he muttered. 

"It's fine." 

"No, it really isn't," Yosuke said firmly. "I just wish that—" He trailed off, shook his head, and tried again. "I just wish I had some sort of magical power to make you feel better. You're always helping other people and putting their needs first. And you've helped me out more times than I can count.” He nodded once, as if to enforce his point. “You're an amazing guy; you don't deserve any of this." 

Though the words made Souji want to crawl under a rock and stay there, the sincerity of it all was enough to coax a small smile from him, the first real one in weeks. The laugh that followed felt as feeble as he did. "Well, I don't know about being amazing, but thanks." 

"I mean it." 

Souji's response died in his throat. Unable to lift his head or meet Yosuke's gaze, Souji blamed the strange tightness in his chest and the redness in his cheeks on the November chill. Just the fog and the cold, nothing more. 

Yosuke was blind to his discomfort. Instead, he chose to rest his spine against the table and stared into the distance, arms folded across his chest as he often did before one of his investigation theories. Souji made no move to disturb him, and though the fluttering sensation in his stomach had passed, he was not keen to talk if it wasn’t necessary. 

The light returned to Yosuke’s eyes just seconds later, and he sat upright as if struck by a ziodyne. “Hey, why don’t you come home with me?” he asked, breathless with epiphany. 

To his credit, Souji recovered remarkably quick and any traces of confusion was pushed under the veneer of playful teasing. “Inviting me over in the middle of the night? Never thought you'd be so bold, partner.” His smile was crooked. 

Yosuke’s face flushed in record time. Souji was rewarded with a hard smack against his arm. “Come on, man. You know what I mean.” 

The smack didn’t hurt that much —Shadow hits were far worse, but Souji rubbed his arm all the same. “No, I actually don’t,” he said. “Isn’t it crowded enough in your room with Teddie in your closet?” Souji dropped his hand. “And I don’t think your parents will appreciate coming downstairs in the morning to see me sleeping on their sofa.” 

Yosuke winced. Ah, so he had failed to factor in the logistics. Not too surprising; the suggestion had been made in the heat of the moment after all. 

“Yeah, well,” Yosuke muttered, looking away. “After hearing you say that stuff about going back to an empty house, I don’t really want to leave you on your own.” 

Souji’s smile was small as he lightly nudged Yosuke’s shoulder. “I’ll be okay. I’m used to it by now.” 

Yosuke shifted away and met Souji with a hard glare. “Partner, it’s almost 3AM, and you’re sitting out in the freezing cold. You’re not used to it.” He pushed a sigh through his lips. “Just say yes. You look like you really need this.” 

Souji flailed. He had troubled Yosuke enough already, any more and it would just be pathetic. Something. He had to say something to make Yosuke drop this, 'Cheer up Souji Seta' mission of his. 

“But my uniform—” Of all the reasons to pick, it had to be _that_ one? 

Yosuke’s expression mirrored his leader's incredulity. The moment passed with a flippant wave of the hand. “You can borrow my spare. We’re about the same size anyway.” 

“I’m taller.” 

Yosuke snorted. “Not by _that_ much.” 

“I’m also broader.” 

“Are you _trying_ to start something?” 

“I’m not wearing your v-neck shirts.” 

“I-I have other types of shirts!” 

Souji’s flat stare spoke volumes. 

Yosuke released an indignant huff. “Come up with as many bullshit reasons as you want, but you’re not getting out of this, partner.” 

“You’re so forceful,” Souji purred. 

Yosuke recoiled. “Never do that again.” 

Souji’s laugh felt a little less hollow this time, warmer, and didn't echo in his ears like before. “Fine, I give in. I’ll follow you home. However, that still leaves the issue about my school things, and also where I’m going to sleep.” 

Yosuke groaned. “You just gotta poke holes in my grand plans, don’tcha?” 

Souji cocked his head, lids falling half mast in equal parts challenge and amusement. “Someone has to. The last two times I didn’t, we were pushed into floating vomit, and then we were made into drag queens.” Souji really hadn’t minded the latter; he looked rather nice in plaits, though his makeup could've been thinner. He kept this opinion to himself. 

“Moving on!” Yosuke declared, a bit too loudly. “We’ll figure it out when the time comes. Finals are soon, so nothing new is being taught anyway, just cram stuff. You can totally get away with not taking notes for one day. Not that you need to, Mister Genius.” The short lived scoff was followed by a half shrug. “And if it’s really an issue, you can share with Chie. I’m sure she won’t mind.” 

She may not have minded, but Souji sure as hell did. Troubling Yosuke was one thing but the rest of the Investigation Team? (Because Yukiko would surely notice and tell the others), that was something he wanted to very much avoid. 

“And afterwards,” Yosuke said, bringing Souji's attention back to the present. He paused, gathering his thoughts with a slow swallow. It was at this point, his voice lost its vibrancy, dampened at the edges and fell into a low thoughtful murmur. “And afterwards, how about we visit Nanako-chan?” 

Souji's mind went blank. In that instant, he felt as if he had been submerged into the depths of the Samegawa River. Each breath he took rendered him helpless, lightheaded, and burned him from inside out. Breathing became a painful ordeal, and at some point, (when, he did not know), he had acquired the faintest of tremors.   

Nanako. Nanako with her tiny body engulfed and caged by a hospital bed. A bed made for someone much older, much bigger, and never for a child. Nanako. Nanako with an oxygen mask strapped to her face and half a dozen beeping machines at her side, each one working furiously to keep her alive. Nanako. Nanako with her voice weak and filled with pain as she struggled to stay awake and smile. Nanako. Nana— 

“I’ll go with you,” Yosuke said, cutting through the haze of hysteria. 

Souji was faintly aware that he had stopped breathing until Yosuke spoke. 

Yosuke did his best to maintain eye contact. “And we can invite the others too, if you want. You won’t have to go alone.” 

Souji's voice shook. “Yosuke, I ca—” 

“She’d appreciate seeing her Big Bro,” Yosuke continued. His voice was quiet, pitched just above a murmur, as if anything louder would scare Souji away. “And I think Dojima-san would as well.” Yosuke lowered his gaze. “I think it’d be good for all of you.” 

“I-I…” 

“You can decide on it later. Just think it over, alright?” 

Not trusting his voice, Souji nodded. 

While Yosuke's smile was uncertain the faint trace of pride was clear to see. Pride for himself, for having convinced Souji? Must be, because Souji doubted that Yosuke would be proud of him if he knew how close he had come to vomiting on his shoes. 

Souji's strength left him as he picked up the shattered remains of his composure. The emotional ache he felt was still too fresh, too frayed at the edges to be properly addressed —not that he had the energy. His body protested with each movement; he had been awake for far too long, and he was finally being punished for it. He swayed twice before falling over to his left and onto Yosuke's side.    

“Souji?” 

The fabric of Yosuke's coat was cool to touch, but the material was soft and padded. His head fell to meet the hard curve of Yosuke's shoulder. “Sorry, I just felt tired all of a sudden. I’ll move in a bit.” 

There was a moment’s hesitation. “Nah, it’s fine, dude. Stay as long as you need.” 

Souji nodded against his shoulder and allowed his eyes to fall shut. 

They stayed until daybreak.

**Author's Note:**

> Major, major thanks to my two wonderful betas [Angevon](http://archiveofourown.org/users/angevon) and [Lululeigh](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Lululeigh). Your support, keen eyes, and wonderful feedback made this fic 900% better. A thousand hearts to you both!


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